I hope that you are all having a wonderful new year and as you sink into the reality of those now dreaded resolutions you made last week, we say resolve to have some fun each week with a family party night. In our home, it is called Party Night Friday Night. It has become quite the tradition as the one evening of the week that we have chosen as a family to cut loose all together. Pizza, popcorn, movies, games, candies and absolutely no homework! The in and outs of the daily grind can be tiring: Hectic schedules, work, dinner prep & homework all weigh on the busy family that has the same routine every day. Our Party Nights give us a break to have a good time all together and we all look forward to it every week.What better way to cut the boredom than with a fun family dinner party?
How to get the party started:
- Choose low budget meals like pizza or pasta. Children don't need fancy because it's all fun. Do burgers at home and pair with takeout fries. Go for dessert not dinner. Make pasta yourself. Keeping weekly party costs low will insure their longevity.
- Choose a day that works for your family. Over the years, conversations with other parents has introduced us to similar traditions in other homes. Here are a few: Sundae Sundays- self explanatory, Takeout Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday- breakfast for dinner or dessert before dinner, Fish & Chip Thursday. You get the idea.
- Get the children involved. Decorate party night napkins, put names on plastic cups, salt/butter popcorn, or prep pizza toppings.
- Pull the activity or movie choice out of a hat. Put 5-10 choices on slips of paper, place in a bowl and have children pull one out.
Tip:Party Night doesn't mean all night. Set reasonable limits on candies, treats, movies and bedtimes to get the best results. Tired children hopped up on sugar will make for a very long weekend and that is no way to start off the new year.
We choose to do pizza for our Party Night and the children wanted to share a few of these to inspire you to do the same. We have different toppings each week and let them put whatever we have in the fridge or cupboards on their pie. Our weekly parties are amazingly fun so resolve to have some fun of your own!
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| We tried these individual wheat rounds for a party. |
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| Mozzarella and spinach are pizza staples in our house. |
When working with children, be sure to break the pizza making into manageable steps for children with small utensils, individual servings and mini portions to promote creativity and alleviate some of the mess.
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| Spreading sauce |
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| Decorating personal pies is so much fun for the little ones. |
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| Offer plenty of topping options especially for those picky eaters. |
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| We always have a bit more cheese on the ready because there never really is enough cheese. |
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| Don't fret if the pizza's are not perfect or downright messy. Consider it art class in the kitchen. |
Try our Perfect (Pizza) Pie Crust recipe here from Savory Salvations. It's a great one just to have on hand so print out a copy or bookmark for later. Get tips on how to create a delicious stuffed crust, too!
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